The state of the music industry today depresses me severely. When I was but a child I used to watch the music video for "Video Killed The Radio Star," and I had absolutely NO idea just how dead-on that group was (the name escapes me now).
It seems like ever since a musical artist's worth began to be weighed on more factors than simply his or her MUSICAL ability and talent, things have gone downhill. The introduction of music videos brought an artist's looks to the forefront. Nothing aggravates me more than when somebody sees a singer whose voice they've heard and taken a liking to, and they react negatively to the person's appearance. As if what the individual LOOKS LIKE has anything to do with how well they perform their craft.
GRRR.
Also, it seems like during the 60's, 70's, and much of the 80's, the music industry tended to cater to adults (more specifically people in their mid-20's and up). I could be wrong about that, but what I'm DEFINITELY NOT wrong about is how much the industry caters to teenagers now. That's PROBABLY a result of the boy-band phenomenon (and I use that p-word loosely here). As soon as the New Kids on the Block were recruited and gathered together (I have a feeling it happened outside a Haagen Daas at a shopping mall), the music industry put their faces and voices everywhere, and things CHANGED.
It's not that I don't think there are musical artists working in the pop realm today who have talent. I could go as far as to say that I like artists from this area, such as Alicia Keys, John Legend, and even that Rihanna girl on occasion. I liked one of Fall Out Boy's songs for a day or two. I'm just as guilty of being swept away by a catchy melody as anybody is.
The majority of artists in this genre of music have NO staying power, however, and THAT really puts a damper on it for me. Look at the bands I listen to most. A band like Opeth (who are from Sweden,) have been around for damn near 13 or 14 years, and their output (9 studio albums) has been pretty damn consistent. I also love Nine Inch Nails. Trent Reznor's been at it since the late 80's. Even a band like Coheed and Cambria (my current favorite,) have been around for about 7 years, and though they had a lineup change and a rough patch a while back they're still going strong with no signs of slowing down. Longevity is not something you see in pop music (and that includes the rock music that is played on the radio).
Also, everything sounds artificial. If it's R&B the majority of the percussion is electronic. If it's rock everything is polished to a sickening shine. There's no grit, no mud, no dirt. Every alternative post-punk emo band out there has the same whiny kid singing for them. Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison would bitch-slap this whole sorry lot of mofo's. I wish Jimi Hendrix were around to school all these so-called "guitarists" playing three power chords but NOT trying to be punk.
Yuck.
Why did I start writing this post? Oh yeah, I fuckin' HATE Nickelback.
With a passion.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Monday, December 1, 2008
HALF OF WHAT YOU SEE
I'm in a strange place right now. I don't mean that I've woken up in somebody else's apartment or an alleyway or anything of that sort. This has to do with my feelings over the manner in which we as citizens of the US absorb the collective output known as "the news."
I've been thinking a great deal lately about the idea of news being both a business (meaning profit is the bottom line) and a tool that can be used to subtly but effectively control the outlooks of a country's citizens.
A few events have put the gears in my head in motion regarding this idea. Firstly, the people of our country have taken, in my opinion, a step forward in electing Barack Obama to be the next president. I, like many others, felt nervous up until the very last moment about the prospect of having an administration in office that could have been more ideological in its approach than the current one. I let out a great sigh a relief when the victor was announced.
About a week ago I borrowed a documentary on DVD from my father that deals with the assassination of former president John F. Kennedy in November of 1963. Without going into great detail here, I'll say that the evidence put forth that a conspiracy was hatched and carried out by numerous groups of people with influence is staggering. The fact that the general media still upholds the story that Lee Harvey Oswald was solely responsible for the assassination is disheartening AND illogical.
With these ideas in my head, that money, fear mongering, and misinformation are all at the heart of the news media, I received the news that an employee at a Wal-Mart in New York State had been trampled to death by an angry mob of bargain-hunting shoppers on Black Friday.
I'm not going to spew invective in the manner that I did on one of my other blogs. I, like so many others, am extremely angry that people in this country are capable of this sort of savagery and disregard. What I'm feeling now is this strange sort of hesitation to trust in the information my brain is absorbing. After all, the news media is very much in the business of sensationalizing just about anything. I know in my mind that carelessness, disregard, and a "me-first" attitude on the part of those Wal-Mart shoppers brought about the death of that poor man, but I wonder to what extent the media could have bent the facts and shaped the story to make it as dramatic and disturbing as possible.
If you're not following me, think about the anthrax scare a few years back. As the great comedian Lewis Black has pointed out, FOUR people died during that whole ordeal. Yet the whole country was in a terrified uproar for weeks. That was a perfect example of how recycled news (and if you need to see for yourself, just leave CNN on in the background while you're cleaning your living room one day) can invoke fear, distrust, and even hatred on the part of viewers and listeners.
What scares me is that the path we could be treading down as a nation if this type of relationship between news anchor and citizen continues to thrive could be divisive and cannibalistic. As I mentioned before, I believe we took a step forward in electing Obama. The question now is can we stand behind him as a country united?
I've been thinking a great deal lately about the idea of news being both a business (meaning profit is the bottom line) and a tool that can be used to subtly but effectively control the outlooks of a country's citizens.
A few events have put the gears in my head in motion regarding this idea. Firstly, the people of our country have taken, in my opinion, a step forward in electing Barack Obama to be the next president. I, like many others, felt nervous up until the very last moment about the prospect of having an administration in office that could have been more ideological in its approach than the current one. I let out a great sigh a relief when the victor was announced.
About a week ago I borrowed a documentary on DVD from my father that deals with the assassination of former president John F. Kennedy in November of 1963. Without going into great detail here, I'll say that the evidence put forth that a conspiracy was hatched and carried out by numerous groups of people with influence is staggering. The fact that the general media still upholds the story that Lee Harvey Oswald was solely responsible for the assassination is disheartening AND illogical.
With these ideas in my head, that money, fear mongering, and misinformation are all at the heart of the news media, I received the news that an employee at a Wal-Mart in New York State had been trampled to death by an angry mob of bargain-hunting shoppers on Black Friday.
I'm not going to spew invective in the manner that I did on one of my other blogs. I, like so many others, am extremely angry that people in this country are capable of this sort of savagery and disregard. What I'm feeling now is this strange sort of hesitation to trust in the information my brain is absorbing. After all, the news media is very much in the business of sensationalizing just about anything. I know in my mind that carelessness, disregard, and a "me-first" attitude on the part of those Wal-Mart shoppers brought about the death of that poor man, but I wonder to what extent the media could have bent the facts and shaped the story to make it as dramatic and disturbing as possible.
If you're not following me, think about the anthrax scare a few years back. As the great comedian Lewis Black has pointed out, FOUR people died during that whole ordeal. Yet the whole country was in a terrified uproar for weeks. That was a perfect example of how recycled news (and if you need to see for yourself, just leave CNN on in the background while you're cleaning your living room one day) can invoke fear, distrust, and even hatred on the part of viewers and listeners.
What scares me is that the path we could be treading down as a nation if this type of relationship between news anchor and citizen continues to thrive could be divisive and cannibalistic. As I mentioned before, I believe we took a step forward in electing Obama. The question now is can we stand behind him as a country united?
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